Tie rod for railroad tracks



W. P. WITHEROW. TIE ROD FOR RAILROAD TRACKS APPLICATION mg!) 050,30, 1921.

Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

INVENTOR 74% WWW UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM P. WITHEROW, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WITHEROW' STEEL COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

TIE ROD FOR RAILROAD TRACKS.

Application filed December 30, 1921.

To all whom- ?It may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. \VITHE- ROW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tie Rods for Railroad Tracks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formin part of this specification, in which igure 1 is a cross section of a railway track provided with my improved tie rod;

Figure 2 is a full size detail showing a portion of the tie rod; and

Figure 3 is a cross section of the flattened portion thereof.

My invention relates to the tie rods which are employed in street railway and interurban tracks for tying together the rails of the track and preventing their spreading under the weight and outward thrust of the cars.

Heretofore such tie rods to connect the rails of the track have been forged from flat bars and the cross sectional area of the flattened intermediate portion has been materially greater than the cross section of the rounds or cylindrical end portions. These cylindrical end portions are threaded to receive the securing nuts, and inasmuch as the rod is, of course, no stronger under tension than its weakest part, the flat portion was unnecessarily heavy and strong as compared to the threaded end portions. Consequently such tie rods contained an excess stock without increasing the strength.

I have found that by taking rounds of a diameter approximately corresponding to or slightly larger than the desired diameter of the cylindrical end portionsof the rods and die-rolling these blanks, preferably in series, to flatten the intermediate portions of the successive blanks, I can obtain a lighter rod wlaieh is fully as strong as the present forged ro In this die-rolling operation, a long round is heated and passed through the die rolls which flatten separated successive portions of the round, making a string of tie rod blanks which are then cut short at the center parts of the cylindical portions. The reduction of the flat portion is so proportioned that the flattening operation will just cause the metal to fill the pass of the rolls; and as the metal is both spread and elongated, the

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Mar. 21, 1922.

Serial No. 525,978.

cross sectional area of the flattened portions of the rod blanks out from the length is slightly less than the cross section of the rounds, which have very little reduction.

lVhen the ends of the blanks are screwthreaded, a tie rod results in which the cross sectional area of the flattened portion is slightly less than the cross sectional area of the cylindrical ends at the tops of the threads, but is somewhat greater than the cross sectional area of the cylindrical ends taken at the root of the threads.

Consequently, the fiat portion of the rod is somewhat stronger' than the cylindrical threaded portions, and the rod is as strong as though there were excess and surplus metal in the flat portion as heretofore.

In the drawings, 2 represents the body portion of a rod which in this particular size is %.thick, by 1 wide. 3, 3 are the cylindrical threaded end portions which are g." in'diameter at the top of the threads. These cylindrical portions preferably merge into the flat portions by means of tapered curved portions 4 or frogs and the converging end portions of the flattened portion; so that the rod throughout is approximately the same cross sectional area as the areas at the roots of the threads in the cylindrical portions. Where the rounds are in diameter, I preferably use United States standard out threads, nine to the inch.

The advantages of my present invention result from doing away withunnecessary weight and stock in thelflattened portion, as extra stock in this part does not add to the strength, and merely gives unnecessary weight. The bars may be cheaply and rapidly formed by die-rolling from a round or elliptical cross sectional shape.

Four nuts are usually employed with the bar, two to each end, as shown at 5 in 'Figure 1.

The dimensions may be varied and other changes may be made, so long as the tie rod is arranged to extend between and connect the opposing rail of the track. These rods are always .over four feet in length, the

. length depending upon the gage of the track flat bar lies in the direction of the fibres of the metal. In my die-rolled rods the fibres of the metal run substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rod; whereas in upsetting or forging the fibres are distorted and bent away from this direction during the forming operation. This gives my rods an important advantage instrength and resistance to tensile strains.

I claim: I

l. A rolled tie rod arranged to extend between and connect the opposite rails of a track, and having approximately the same cross sectional area throughout its length, said tie rod having cylindrical terminal portions and a flat body portion, the cross sectionalarea of the flat portion being no greater than the cross sectional area of the terminals, substantially as described.

2. A rolled tie rod arranged to extend between and connect the opposite rails of a track, said tie rod having threaded ends and an intermediate flattened portion of a cross sectional area less than the cross sectional area of the threaded ends at the tops of the threads but at least as great as the cross sectional area of the threaded ends at the roots of the threads, the cross sectional area of the threaded ends at the roots of the threads being at least as small as the smallest cross sectional area of said rod, substantially as described.

3. A rolled tie rod arranged to extend between andconnect the opposite rails of a track, said tie rod having threaded terminals and a flattened intermediate portion of a cross sectional; area less than the area of the terminals at the tops of the threads, but greater than the area of the terminals at the roots of the threads, the cross sectional area of the threaded terminals at the roots of the threads being the smallest cross sectional area of said rod, substantially as described.

4. A rolled tie rod arranged to extend between and connect the opposite rails of a track, said tie rod consisting of a rolled section having a flattened finless intermediate portion, and cylindrical terminal portions connected thereto by tongues, the crosssectional area of the tie rod being approximately the same throughout, substantially as described.

5. A rolled tie rod arranged to extend between and connect the opposite rails of a track, said tie rod having cylindrical end portions and a fiat body portion, the fibres of the metal extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rod throughout the length of the rod, substantially as described.

6. A rolled tie rod arranged to extend between and connect the opposite rails of a track, said tie rod having cylindrical terminal portions and a fiat body portion, the cross sectional area of the body portion being no greater than the cross sectional area of the terminals, said terminal portions gradually merging into the flat body portion, substantially as described.

T.- A rolled tie rod arranged to extend between and connect the opposite rails of a track, said tie rod having cylindrical terminal portions and a flat body portion, the

cross sectional area of the body portion be ing no greater than the cross sectional area of the terminals, said rod having approximately the same cross sectional area throughout the length thereof, substantially as described.

8. A rolled tie rod arranged to extend between and connect the opposite rails of a track, said tie rod having threaded cylindrical terminal portions and a flat body portion, the cross sectional area of-the body portion being. no greater than the cross sectional area of the terminals, said rod having approximately the same cross sectional area throughout the length thereof, with the smallest cross sectional area at the roots of the threads of said threaded terminals, substantially as described,

.In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM WITHEROW. 

